Amazing Blaze
by MedusaMyLove
Summary: Sooner or later, people at SGH will realise, just how much in love these two are. I just love imagining their reactions. **disclaimer-do not own characters**
1. Chapter 1

Author's note- _I'm not sure where this one's going, maybe another chapter, or two. I just really like to imagine other peoples' reaction to this new love of C and O_

Chapter 1- Saving Major Hunt.

Adele Webber walked into the lobby of her husband's hospital, carrying some shirts, ties, food, and a few toiletry items Richard would not have thought of, but would surely need.

Coming here was better now. Not as much like entering an arena where the lions were waiting. The imaginary, bloodthirsty crowd of spectators no longer screaming in her ears.

Ellis Grey was gone now, had been gone for years and somehow her daughter's presence had pushed her ghost to the background. The living, breathing, reality of Meredith visualised the years that had gone bye and the change that came with them.

Today she could walk these halls, knowing that, even if her husband didn't want to give up this place for her, at the very least he needed her just as much. She knew she had stood up for herself, finally demanding the respect that should have been hers all along. They had faced the past, and they had survived.

She looked around, enjoying the light-filled corridors, the busy efficiency of people in different coloured scrubs, doing their job. She could take pride in the hustle and bustle now, no longer felt threatened by it and insufficient in comparison.

"Adele!", a shout drew her attention as she reached Richard's office. And she turned around to see her husband approaching, in a hurry. "Did you bring my shirts?", Without a word she reached behind her and opened the door to his office, holding out the bag she'd brought.

Furrowing around in the bag he chose a shirt and a tie and kissed her again, before hurrying of to the bathroom to change.

The lecture that had the hospital abuzz would be starting in twenty minutes and several doctors passed the office on their way down to the auditorium. Adele knew most and liked few. She exchanged some perfunctory greetings and turned away from the door, in the hopes of avoiding any more of them.

Another knock on the door made her turn around though, to see an unknown face, rugged, handsome; blue eyes, red hair.

He stopped when he saw her and then approached. "Excuse me Ma'am, I'm looking for Chief Webber, or has he gone down to the lecture already? ".

Then he offered his hand, coming up to her to introduce himself. "My name is Owen Hunt, I'm the new Head of Trauma".

Now she could place him and smiled radiantly, taking his hand. "Dr. Hunt, I'm Adele Webber, the Chief's wife, it is so nice to meet you! Of course Richard told me about his new Head of Trauma, very pleased to have you work here, he is". She answered his question, "Right now he's changing, he'll be back in a couple of minutes if you care to wait".

Owen smiled at the sincerity of her greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet you Ma'am".

Her smile turned even more radiant if that was possible, and she gave him a little wink, "None of this "Ma'am", please! You'll make me feel all old, call me Adele".

Owen gave her a doubtful look, "I will try, but old habits die hard and I'm pretty used to the formalities", "Please call me Owen though", he added, as an after thought.

Adele motioned for him to come further into the room. "You know, I come from a military family, both my father and my brother are Marines, so I understand what you mean". She smiled, and continued, "I can't say the "formalities" did much for them when their team was losing, though".

That got a smile that changed his face, and Adele had to remind herself for a second that harassing her husbands staff was not a good idea. But they sure made the young men finer and finer these days!.

She looked at his profile and resumed, "My dad was in Vietnam for two years", he looked at her, smile fast vanishing. "And my brother was in Iraq, the last time we were there in the nineties". That wiped the last traces of mirth from his face, eyes fast turning a bleak sort of grey.

She watched him closely, seeing his body tense, fist clenching.

Silently, she cursed Richard for not telling her about this. So she could have known to avoid the topic.

In her youth she'd seen her father and his friends deal with the consequences of living through war. None of them had escaped unscathed. All of them connected by experiences that those that stayed at home could never really understand. They all bore that stamp for the rest of their lives, but with some, it was more pronounced than with others. They all tried to somehow live a "normal" life again, in peace. But seemed to have more ghosts haunting them. She had seen marriages fall apart and good men left behind, deemed too broken for repair. Later, as a nurse, she learned the medical terms, the symptoms, the theory, and found them strangely lacking. Not really able to describe what it was like when a person got destroyed by too much pain and cruelty.

Richard had told her about him, that he had spend five years over there, in the dessert, in the fighting. He had told her that he was the only survivor of an attack that left nineteen people dead. Now she could see what that meant.

Now his eyes told her, how close his ghosts were, and she took a sharp breath.

She hadn't meant to hurt this young man, after all, they'd just made the usual introductions. If only talking about the war did this to him, she knew his nights must be hell.

Determined to get their minds as far away from war as she could, she started prattling about having to bring Richard his clothes and how it was amazing that a grown man, in charge of a hospital, could not even dress himself. "I always think, the only reason he became a surgeon in the fist place, is so he can wear scrubs every day and never has to worry about what he'll wear. That white coat saves us both a world of trouble".

He made a visible effort to relax, trying to laugh at her little joke, but it wasn't easy, tension still increasing in his body.

Looking up at the sound of a knock on the door, they saw Cristina Yang standing in the doorway, looking exceptionally hard at the both of them, taking in Owen's tense posture, hands buried in the pockets of his coat, defensively stretched out before him. Adele leaning against the desk, a bit towards him, concerned look on her face.

"Good afternoon Cristina", Adele's greeting drew Cristina's attention away from the dead look in Owen's eyes.

"_What the hell has she been saying to him?!"_

"Hello Mrs. Webber, how are you?". Instinctively she took some steps forward, drawing nearer to Owen, positioning her body so, that it shielded him a bit, turning to the other woman with a searching look.

Adele was taken aback for a moment by the way the girl swooped into the office and into her space. That was not normally her style.

She knew Cristina to be a real surgeon. And she didn't mean that as a compliment. Cristina was very much like Ellis, like all those that had said Richard was wasting himself on a hausfrau like her. That she would never be able to understand him, to understand _them_, in all their wonderful ways.

But Cristina was also respectful towards her, always had been, without fail.

Sure, she could be hard at times, but never callous, just blunt and young. When Adele had witnessed Preston Burke walk out of the church a few months back, she knew Cristina would never be judging people quite so harshly ever again. She had felt sorry for her and admired her strength after Burke had won the Harper-Avery award.

She had been there for that rarest of occasions; Cristina showing her feelings and tears. Telling Richard, the attorney and herself that now, she was a ghost. And she had admired her strength, even after all the humiliation. Even amidst her tears that day.

Yes, she'd seen Cristina in different moods, but she'd never seen her like this. "What had gotten into the girl?!", she was standing far too close!.

Cristina addressed her, drawing her attention, "I was looking for the Chief, he wanted this file before the lecture started". Her glance quickly passed over Owen's face, silently trying to assess how he was doing.

He was the one to answer her, "I'm waiting for him too, need to get a quick consult in. Mrs. Webb.. , I mean, Adele, told me he'll be right back".

She shot the other woman a surprised look, that made Adele laugh inside. "Well, in that case Dr. Hunt, I'll just leave this with you, if you could give it to him?".

She handed him the file, turning towards him now, their eyes locked in a silent exchange, "Are you o.k? ", "should I stay?".

And his eyes, slowly warming up to the colour of a winter sky again; "It's o.k", and, eyes turning even softer; "I love you".

Gob smacked, Adele sat back and watched. Hesitating to credit what she could clearly see before her eyes. But the hesitation didn't last long. For all the stuck-up surgeons in the world, and their belief she could never understand as well as they did, she was **not** stupid.

She had always had a very firm grip on reality, and a lot of perspicacity when it came to people and their feelings. Richard had found that out, the night she had ordered him to save their niece, whether the girl wanted to or not.

She had always known exactly what was going on, what she chose to do, or not do, about it, was her business.

Now her keen observation of people and their emotions told her that, somehow, some way, these two had found each other. And it was clear, to her at least , that they would never let go.

She could tell from the way he drew strength from her vicinity, from the way he slowly but surely relaxed.

For Cristina Yang to come barging into the Chief's office, physically shielding this man from her bosses wife, took love. But for her to do that after what had happened with Burke?, such a short time ago? And for her to look at him, prepared to save him, if he needed saving?. That took devotion, which was not a word Adele Webber would have _ever_ associated with Cristina Yang.

She greeted back as Cristina was leaving, focused on the way they held each other's gaze as long as possible, not wanting to look away.

When Owen turned to her, he was calm again. They talked about Seattle and it's weather quite comfortably until Richard came in. Owen wasted no time, handing him the file on behalf of Cristina and summarizing his case. After answering and getting the once-over, followed by an approving nod of his wife, they kissed and he left in a hurry.

Owen offered to walk her to her car and she accepted, complimenting him on being an officer and a gentleman. He shot her a dubious grin and filled his lungs with the fresh air, once they got outside.

Throwing his head back like this, he looked absolutely stunning. Red hair sharply offset against the blue-grey sky. Broad chest rising, shoulders drawn back.

They'd almost reached the car when she turned to him with a smile and a soft, but direct look. "It was really good meeting you Owen, I hope you'll be happy here". He nodded his thanks, not sure what to say. She was still looking at him, "I feel a lot better knowing you have some one to take care of you". He stared at her, eye brows raised. She gave him a little knowing smile, "Cristina yang is not the woman I would have chosen to take care of anyone" , she considered for a moment, "not my first choice, certainly". She looked at his cautious expression, "But it's clear to see, she'll take care of you as if you were a part of her".

His expression now went from cautious to downright alarmed, as she turned very serious, and a little threatening. "this makes you extremely lucky, you know that, don't you?".

He tried to answer, but she went on, "I'm not talking about you having problems, and that being, why you're lucky to have her". Owen shut his mouth abruptly.

"I'm talking about the chances of her finding you, the man she can love like this, no matter _what_ state you're in. They are infinitesimal!".

"You'd do well to love her and take care of her in the same way". She felt it was her duty to say this, after all, she didn't know him and she couldn't let Cristina get hurt again.

Owen stayed silent for a while, processing her words. Finally he spoke with a little laugh that tried, and failed, to hide his emotion. "You've just met me, and seen.., us, together for a whole two minutes". He let his voice trail away, but Adele just held his eyes, unwavering.

He looked at her in silence for a bit longer. This woman was obviously no fool and he had nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide. From the Chief _or_ his wife.

"I thought about that a lot, back there", his fist were clenching, even as he was avoiding saying the name of the place that had seen him soaked in the blood of his dead friends. "How easily I could have missed her, when I was here on leave, the last time ". He smiled, thinking of that day, their first kiss, the realisation of what she was making him feel.

Adele saw that smile, and suddenly found herself blinking furiously.

"I don't believe in a lot anymore, can't spare the energy most days to wonder whether it was coincidence or providence, meeting her just before my life was about to…change".

He turned very serious now, as serious as she had been before. "I'll take care of her ". He seemed to want to add more, but decided against it. Letting the sincerity of the words make their way to her.

Eyes moist again, Adele nodded her approval, "Good, now I'll just have to find some excuse for a personnel- dinner, so you can take her, and we can talk some more".

He hadn't seen that one coming and was quick to object, "I don't think…"- "Don't worry, I won't be obvious about it, and you two don't have to be either, it'll be lovely, you'll see".

Unsuccessfully he tried to change her mind. "we don't want other people to know, and besides, I don't think your husband will be too pleased about this, and that'll make Cristina unhappy".

She shot him a stern look, "Nonsense! Richard will be ecstatic, don't you worry about him, it'll just be dinner, a chance to relax and spend some time with each other". And before he could respond, she cut him off by walking towards the driver side of the car.

Giving up, Owen hurried to open the door for her, and wished her a safe drive home. Receiving a cheerful wink, that did nothing to quiet his concerns, in reply. "Goodbye Dr. Hunt, see you soon, take care!".

And she was off, leaving him on the parking lot, wondering how much trouble he'd just gotten himself into, tripping this woman's saviour-complex into action.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- The World According to Evil Spawn

Alex Karev's attention was caught by a sound, coming from one of the examination rooms. It was soft, reaching him through the walls, but carried so much pain and distress, he felt his feet move in it's direction without having made the conscious decision to do so.

He found himself very cautiously opening the door, again, not a conscious move. He wasn't sure what he expected to see, not the scene that met his eyes though, that was for sure.

Dr. Hunt was struggling for breath, making that sound again, and before he knew what happened, Cristina actually jumped him. For a second Alex hesitated, should he jump in? The man was far too strong for Yang, with her bird-bones. Hunt could seriously hurt her, even without meaning to do so.

But he figured he would only add to the agitation, and watched as strangled sobs escaped Hunt's throat. Watched, as Cristina held on tight, talking to him in a voice that he.., knew!

He had used that voiced with his mother, when she was in pain and scared and confused. When he was her Rock, telling her everything was going to be alright, holding her just as long as it took for her to calm down, fall asleep. Hearing Cristina use that voice somehow shook his idea of this world for a moment. And he stared, listening to what that voice was saying.

Alex liked Hunt, he liked him a lot, and he respected the hell out of him. He couldn't remember coming across any men like him when growing up. The men little Alex Karev knew were mostly drunk, often dirty, invariably either violent, or just plain mean. Growing up, going to school, his teachers had been incapable of dealing with the defiant boy. None of them secure enough of themselves, or interested enough in _him_, to see the misery that he was so expertly hiding.

Medicine, notwithstanding it's strict hierarchy, did little to further his respect for the establishment, or his superiors. There were exceptions of course; Miranda Bailey sprung to mind. He would trust her judgment, in most all things, no questions asked. Given his experiences in life, what more could he say to praise her?.

Addison Montgomery was a second candidate, he was convinced of her commitment, her expertise, her capabilities. Yes, they were two superiors whom he respected. They were also, both, women.

When it came to respecting his male superiors here at SGH, nothing much had changed since the days when he had watched drunks brag, trying to impress a woman or a fellow drunk, quick to get violent when the desired admiration was not forth coming.

Of course, there was the Chief, he was certainly fair, a good boss. An almost grandfatherly figure at times. And although Alex respected his experience and guidance, he found it hard to model himself after a man that was so much older, and in such a different phase of his life.

As far as McDreamy and McSteamy were concerned, he'd take advise from them when the cows came home to roost, wearing wigs. At least then, they'd know what they would be talking about. With the shallowness and the relationship drama, were they even allowed to call themselves men anymore?.

When Dr. Hunt had started working at SGH, he had known that he was Army and that he did Trauma, that made him hardcore. Seeing him, Alex had not been disappointed, the guy knew what he was doing and didn't mess around. So he had reconciled himself with the inevitable put-down's he'd have to endure to learn from this guy. Except the put-down's never came.

The real eye-opener, had been Hunt's reaction to the "Dreamteam"'s joint attack. To hear the Head of a Department calmly admit that there might be a better way of doing things, to ask for advice, so he could improve, even?! That had blown his mind, because it was so obvious that it didn't make him weaker, it just made him seem stronger. Like a grown up, who had his ego in check enough, to allow for an exchange of ideas.

Yeah, he respected Hunt, he knew the man wasn't Mr. Sunshine, but he never expected anyone to be, except Izzy of course. So he'd never thought much of it.

Watching him now, slowly calming down in Cristina's embrace, he admired him even more. Seeing the demons the man had to face each day to do his job, do it so _well_, that Alex had learned more from him, than from anyone, ever before.

Slowly the sobs diminished, becoming deep, halting breaths. Cristina was still holding him, but now moved around slowly and smoothly, never breaking contact. She moved until she was on her knees in front of him and he could wrap his arms around her, pull her close against him and burry his face in her hair. Alex watched in wonder as Cristina kept stroking his back, his hair, as if that had always been her job.

He had no special love for Cristina, although he appreciated that she didn't pretend to care. Also she was not a backstabber, she would kill you to get where she wanted to be. But she was honest about that fact. He could take care of himself, that didn't bother him. And he guessed that really, she was rather smart and though, and loyal.

No, he wouldn't say he had a special place in his heart for Cristina Yang, but she happened to be among those rare people ( clearly not superiors!) that he respected.

For the first time he wondered why she'd agreed to marry that Egomaniac, Burke?

When he'd never seen her give a hint of feelings even _half_ as strong as these. Not in all the time that he'd been working in close proximity of the two.

He had to admit that she'd deserved better. And he was glad for the both of them; they had picked someone solid.

With a sudden shock, he realised , he needed to get out of here, but couldn't quite tear himself away, when he saw Cristina's face. He almost didn't recognise her. It was as if he was seeing her naked. Not her body, but her soul.

That made him leave.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- the Big Friendly Silence

From the very beginning the nurses had loved him, he was too handsome not to. The kind of handsome that would make a (wo-)man swoon, quite apart from the fact that he was a trauma surgeon with years of battle- experience, serving his country.

When it turned out that he was also a gentleman, and a pained, single, gentleman at that, there had been a flurry of excitement.

He had remained a gentleman, and remained pained, and after a few weeks, things had resumed their order among the nurses of SGH. Barring the occasional new hire, that had not yet been inocculated.

Of course Olivia noted him too, a fellow redhead after all, and he seemed to return the sentiment, even talking to her once or twice. He was a good man, that much was clear to her.

What was equally clear to her, was the fact that he never seemed fully present. Save for when he was in a surgery or working on a trauma case. At all other times, there was something in his eyes that told her, he was seeing something else, looking at some memory, perhaps.

She came to notice the only times he seemed fully alive were, when Dr. Yang was present. She didn't know when she first noticed the fact, it was a while before she became conscious of it.

Her immediate reaction was disappointment, her secret dreams of him one day asking her for some TLC, dashed to pieces. The second thought was one of jealousy; "why Cristina Yang?!". What was so special about her that all the hot men ended at her feet?!.

It was a common sentiment among the nurses, although the wedding fiasco tempered it a bit. They might still not love her, but they had felt sorry for her. After Gloating properly, that was.

Seeing Miss Highty- Tighty going down like that was a gossiper's wet dream. But, eventually, they were still women, and burke had been such a pompous ass. In that regard, they'd been a match made in heaven. After these months of seeing Cristina battle on, head held high, not giving up, Olivia didn't begrudge her some happiness.

The last traces of resentment disappeared the night she found them sleeping in the on-call room together.

He was lying over her, holding on to her, even in his sleep. Cristina had wrapped one arm protectively around his shoulders and head. Looking very fragile compared to the big man she was holding in her arms.

Olivia had felt tears rise, they never came hard to her, and somehow, seeing these two at peace, together. Made her realise how weighed down with worry and responsibility they always seemed. She knew for a fact he hadn't slept in days, with the exception of last night when Cristina was with him as well.

They needed their sleep, and they needed each other.

She carefully closed the door; they needed to be left alone.

So she had kept her mouth shut, she didn't know she had it in her. Moreover; from that night on, she looked out for them, without them realising. Explaining an absence or making a sound that warned them when some one was coming. She just knew they needed as much space and time as possible. And she didn't mind trying to give them some.

Because, even though she'd prefer to be the surgeon, sleeping with this hot guy, this wasn't about any of those things. This was about something else entirely and she wanted to help protect it.

She got worried when she saw that the others had started to notice too. Once or twice she saw a colleague watch a certain gesture or expression, when the two of them didn't notice they weren't alone. She awaited the gossip in fear, knowing that she wouldn't participate this time, but fearing the sharp ridicule of her regular gossip partners at her refusal.

She needn't have feared, for an amazing thing had happened; independently from each other, every single nurse seemed to have decided to leave these two alone. No one had anything remotely sarcastic or flippant to say. Not when they saw Owen's face become twenty years younger when Cristina looked at him in a certain way.

Olivia always referred to it as the Seattle grace Miracle, in private. Or as The Big Friendly Silence. Sometimes she'd share a tender look with a passer by, seeing them in the halls. They might share a small comment on how cute they looked, or a worried one when he looked particularly drawn. That was all that was said about the love between these two, among the nurses of Seattle grace Hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note**_- I haven't seen the PP crossover, and was therefore not able to include those details. Looked like they were going for Miranda+ Sam. To me, Sam= McVelvety, even though he most definitively does not have a "little boy's smile.._".

Chapter 4- Amazing Blaze

Miranda Bailey had always known Preston Xavier Burke thought he was just a little bit better than the rest of mankind. Or, alright; a _lot_ better. She hadn't minded because he was never foolish enough to think that about _her_. She hadn't minded because, that's what _she_ thought about _her_self. Most Days.

She'd never really spared a thought about Preston and any possible relations he might be having, just the odd frustrated one; that any woman who'd want to be with him, better be _damn_ sure of herself. He was a conservative, and as flexible as his mother had made him. Always a little too mindful of his family name, dignity and status, to her taste. She was sure eventually he'd find some impossibly haughty and thin society princess. Or he'd let his Momma find one for him. Then they'd all have to attend the ridiculously lavish wedding, trying to look as if they weren't form the wrong side of the tracks. Miranda snorted; she had no patience for airs and vanities. So she related to Burke, as a colleague, as the fine surgeon and decent man he was, and kept it at that.

When Cristina had collapsed to the ground with a busted fallopian tube, Miranda, and the rest of the hospital had found out about the relation. She'd been shocked, disappointed and worried, very worried.

Cristina Yang was the best of her year, with the possible exception of Grey. She was smart, focused, driven; brilliant. Miranda had thought of her as her successor, in a certain way. The Torch–Bearer, so to speak.

The Best Student, of the Best Teacher, the best teacher being her, obviously.

So yes, she had been disappointed, and worried. She'd never think Cristina was trying to sleep her way up, but she did fear a certain unhealthy fascination with men that had the knowledge and position Cris eventually wanted for herself. She knew Yang was strong, but could this ever be a relationship between equals?!

Still, Burke had stepped up, taking responsibility, telling the Chief, making it a Certified Relationship, that would eventually lead to the Big Wedding.

By that time, Miranda's worry had long turned into alarm, but she told herself to keep her fingers out of the messy, messy thing the Head of Cardio and her intern had going on.

She told herself, apparently Preston was not such a pompous ass as she'd thought. Maybe Yang would be just the ticket for him, to stop him from joining the mummies in the family museum.

She told herself Cristina was though, that this was probably exactly what she wanted, surely she wouldn't be letting it happen if it wasn't?! Sitting in the church that day, listening to Cristina's panicked voice, coming through the heavy doors in the back, "I can't do this!",

she had closed her eyes and waited for things to unfold. Grateful that, at last, Preston had the sense and self respect to end this, and walk away.

But that hadn't been the end of it, of course not. She'd never been stupid enough to think that.

Cristina Yang may not have wanted to marry Burke. But she had loved and she'd been left. In front of the whole world, and there was nowhere to hide from the prying eyes and sharp, wagging tongues.

Miranda was never more proud of her best student than right then, right there. Cristina did her job, chin up, with iron will and determination. A real pro, a brilliant surgeon in the making and a strong, strong woman. Yes, Miranda Bailey was proud, and relieved when the excitement seemed to die down.

That's when the blow came, out of nowhere. Preston Burke, the High and Mighty Preston Burke had not proven to be big enough to give Cristina the credit that was hers. After saving his career, he didn't even mention her. Keeping all the glory of that award to himself.

Miranda wished she could say she was surprised. But the medical profession was rife with this sort of thing. And when it came to her trust in men to do the right thing, keep their word.., …yeah, she wasn't really feeling that right now.

*****

Tucker had moved out. Just thinking those words hurt. But she had never been one to shy away from the truth, and she sure as hell wasn't starting now.

Tucker had moved out.

She'd never thought much about marriage, she just knew that she'd like to be married one day. To a nice man, that loved her, maybe they would have children. She was sure enough of herself then, to feel she could do that, and still have a career. _She_ could, she just needed to plan and work hard at it.

Never had she pictured herself with such a drop dead gorgeous husband. She, the short kid in the marching band, now had an beautiful husband, and an even more beautiful baby.

But the thing that she really could **never** have pictured, was that the nice husband would someday move out. And a part of her died, when she realised that that was really happening, in _her _life. It was the part of her that was young and confident, with absolute faith, that held on to absolute truths.

In her profession, there was no such thing as an absolute truth, but in her heart of hearts, she held on to a few. Strictly for private use. They were the truths she chose to believe in, when it came to love, children, life and death.

Some of these died and since then, she'd been adrift.

Adrift, trying to come up with a routine for Tuck jr., that involved Tuck sr., but not too much heartbreak.

Torn, between the attending's position she'd told the Chief she wanted, and her new interest in the challenge that would be Ped's. Not knowing if she could even make it in that field, if she could do it.

That was not a thought Miranda Bailey had entertained many times since early high school, and it seemed to pop into her head an awful lot these days. "What if she wouldn't make it?", "What if she couldn't do it?".

Fortunately, she was still _Dr. Bailey_, and sensible enough to take it as a sign of growth. Telling herself that only children and dictators are absolutely sure of themselves and their ideas. She might be _nicknamed_ "the Nazi", but that's where she'd like all similarities to end!

So she collected letters of recommendation, and changed her hair, in the hopes that the curls' bounce would rub off on her, somehow making her more flexible.

Which was a ridiculous idea.

"So what!", she might be adrift, but surely she was better outfitted than most to plot a new course, and seize those winds of fortune, make them work for her once more?!.

And with all this going on, she still found time to notice that there was something going on between Dr. Hunt and Cristina Yang.

Of course she did, she was _still_ Dr. Bailey.

****

Now, she had to admit there had been some coincidence involved, apart from her super powers. A couple of months ago she had been heading for Joe's, and when she turned the corner of the alley that led to the entrance, she had seen Dr. Hunt moving in on Cristina, his posture so threatening she had opened her mouth to intervene. Before she could, he'd already lunged forward to kiss the girl. She could see Cristina's consent in the small hands she raised to hold his neck, his shoulder. She'd turned on the spot and left, trying in vain to get the image out of her head.

She was amazed, and not amazed at all, at the same time. She'd seen Cristina with Burke and it had never been anything like **that. **

Preston Burke was clearly a handsome, virile man. But Bailey had always thought he and Yang made for a cold combination. Each on his or her own, yes, they had fire. But she never saw the mix there, never felt that spark.

_These_ two.., these two were **smoking**. "Pfew"!. They had been in direct and immediate danger of setting themselves ablaze right there in that alley. With just a little fantasy, you could see the flames flaring and lapping up around them.

In the following days and weeks she kept an eye on the two, watching their interaction.

A part of her was disappointed in Cristina, again.

Had she not learned her lesson? Another attending?! The risk of all these all wounds reopening, for some booty?! For some sex?!

But she had to admit that if the sex was anything like the kissing Yang would be a dammed fool to miss out. The problem was, that she wasn't even convinced there _was_ any sex. There certainly wasn't any in the on-call rooms, or anywhere else in the hospital.

In some way, that worried her more than any amount of hot monkey-lovin' ever could have.

She knew, for instance, that they sometimes dropped of the radar, disappeared together. They didn't stay away long enough for sex, though, not if she'd judged Dr. Hunt correctly.

So, what were they doing?

What was that girl getting herself into now?, Couldn't she tell this man was dangerous?

And the disappointment turned to worry, again.

Worry that this woman was brave enough to have put her heart back on the line. But no, surely she couldn't have, she assured herself.

Not even Cristina Yang, her best student, was _that_ temerarious.

And she left it at that, because as long as it didn't interfere with their work, which it didn't, it was no business of hers. At all.

And since Hunt was a real professional, there would likely never arise the need for her to talk about it.

Still, no one was perfect, especially when it came to feelings, and if he'd earn himself a talking-to in the elevator, she'd be there. He may be military, but she would give him a new appreciation of the word "discipline". For now, though, she just watched.

And the more she watched; the more she saw of Hunt and the two of them together, the more her unrest grew. He was an honourable man, an excellent surgeon, a good listener. He was down to earth and seemed to have a remarkably small ego. The more Miranda discovered, the more she liked and respected him. He didn't strike her as being interested in games, in fact, he looked in no form to be playing at anything for a while.

So it wasn't the sex, and it wasn't an ego-thing or a game. Then what the hell was it?!

Of course, sometimes she thought she knew, but she just couldn't believe it. Not this Miranda Bailey, not the Miranda that saw her husband leave their house, she couldn't summon that belief right now, and decided, she must be imagining things. After all, no one else seemed to have noticed anything. Some times she could swear she saw the nurses, especially that Olivia girl, looking at Yang and Hunt with the expressions of puppy dogs on a hallmark card. But she never heard any talk, not a single piece of gossip about these two reached her.

*****

Normal life at SGH had come to a halt when Addison and her brother showed up, bringing their gang of Med. school friends. The gang included the finest piece of man-candy she'd seen walking around in the wild for a while. She wondered how he was able to go out without bars, or a keeper, to fend off the hoards of savage women, that must be throwing themselves at him on every corner. Mm, mm, mm!

What was she saying again?, ..Oh, yes. The circus had come to town and Shepard went and lost his damn mind, as good as ran of with the circus, back to L.A. the memory had her shaking her head. Muttering under her breath, "grown-ass man, up and left, ..lost his damn, … ".

That meant that now, on top of everything else, she had to worry about Grey as well. Those two girls had been trouble from the very beginning, and she'd probably still be wiping their noses, long after Tuck jr. had moved out. She could only be thankful that she'd had a boy, although she couldn't help but think, that no daughter of _hers_, would ever be allowed to make such a mess of her life. But maybe that was one of those absolute truths she needed to let go of.

She sighed, gathering up her bags from the office floor, preparing to leave, after a long shift. She stopped one moment before walking out into the hallway, making a conscious effort to stop worrying, and leave her hospital- children to their own devices.

Stepping out into the late afternoon, moments later, she looked up from buttoning her coat and was momentarily blinded by the low rays of the sun. The air was still warm with the day's heat, even though the evening was fast approaching. Squinting hard, she took a step forward.

That's when she saw them standing a good few yards away, oblivious to their surroundings. His hair was a flaming red and gold in this setting sun, and Cristina's curls gleamed up blacker than ever before. They were standing very close, facing each other, Hunt had one hand buried in her hair, and they were looking at each other, completely at ease.

Somehow, the way they held each other made it look as if they had been together forever. Looking at them, you could not picture them ever holding anyone else.

When Cristina leaned towards him for a tender kiss, there were flames again. Only not the midnight-in-an-alley kind. These flames seemed to consist of pure sunlight and joy. A glorious Blaze of Energy, so strong, it was almost palpable.

She took a deep breath, feeling the oxygen alight that vital spark in her chest anew. The little light that allowed her to breathe free, even when she came home in an empty house with her child.

The nagging question in the back of Miranda's head finally was allowed it's answer.

This?, this was Love.

She stood there for one more moment, taking in the picture of the two of them together. Then she nodded, this child had made it home, safe.

She turned and went home, taking the little flame in her heart along, to share with her baby.


End file.
